Tendulkar will remain part of Kerala Blasters, says James

Kolkata: Kerala Blasters and Sachin Tendulkar may have parted ways but the cricket legend will always remain an intrinsic part of the club, coach David James said on Friday.

The Master Blaster had sold off his 20 per cent stake with the club in the build-up to the fifth season of the Indian Super League, and described that his "heart will always beat for the club".

"His name will always be linked with Kerala Blasters because this Blasters is essentially his nickname. Even down to the colours, we are wearing his choices. He will always be an intrinsic part of Kerala Blasters," James said.

Terming Tendulkar one of the most wonderful men he met, James said it's bit of a "shame" that the cricket legend has left the club.

"I've had conversations with him since he departed. I've had very good terms and wish him all the best. In some sense, of course it's a shame because you want everything to remain the same. Evolution does take place, people will go but football club will always survive," James told reporters on the eve of the ISL-V opener against ATK here.

The former England goalkeeper, who was signed midway into the last season after Rene Meulensteen was sacked, remembers meeting him in London before signing a three-year contract.

"He is one of the most wonderful men I've met in sport when I was asked to be the manager in London. We had a very honest conversation about principle and philosophies, human factor rather than just football," the former Liverpool custodian said. After James took over last season, there were some glimpses of resurgence but it was a little too late to make the playoffs, as they ended up sixth. "I'm heavily involved in making of this squad having watched hours and hours of videos of about 100 players that we saw. It's a long term strategy — of not just winning the ISL but building a team for the future."